A New Book and Women Authors

This will be a quick post today. It's been a lovely day. Yesterday, I sawed up that branch that fell onto the deck earlier in the year. I've got to do more work on the yard over the next few days so it's reasonably well done before the sprinkler guy comes next week. We've had the patio doors open all afternoon the last two days. So nice and fresh. 

Today I'll update my newest book, providing the synopsis. I'll also continue with my look at my latest theme; my look at favorite women authors. So let's get a move on.

New Books

1. The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (Maigret #6). I've been trying to catch up on my Maigret books from the beginning. #5 is still in the mail.

"There was an exaggerated humility about her. Her cowed eyes, her way of gliding noiselessly about without bumping into things, of quivering nervously at the slight­est word, were the very image of a scullery maid accustomed to hardship. And yet he sensed, beneath that image, glints of pride held firmly in check. She was anemic. Her flat chest was not formed to rouse desire. Nevertheless, she was strangely appealing, perhaps because she seemed troubled, despondent, sickly.

In the windswept seaside town of Concarneau, a local wine merchant is shot. In fact, someone is out to kill all the influential men and the entire town is soon sent into a state of panic. For Maigret, the answers lie with the pale, downtrodden waitress Emma, and a strange yellow dog lurking in the shadows..."

Women Authors I Enjoy - Belinda Bauer

Belinda Bauer

I've read one book by British author Belinda Bauer so far. It's the first book in her Exmoor mystery series, but I've got two more sitting on my shelf waiting my attention. She was born in 1962 and grew up in England and South Africa. Since 2009 she has written 9 novels and one other under the name Jack Bowman. I'll highlight the book that I've read and the two others.

1. Blacklands (Exmoor Trilogy #1 / 2009).

"I finished Blacklands by Belinda Bauer this morning. Stephen Lamb, a 12 year old boy, from a damaged family wants to put it back together. Many years ago, his uncle was murdered when he was a young boy and his body never found. Stephen's Nan sits at the window every day hoping her son, Peter will come home. Stephen's mom, Lettie, realizing she will always be 2nd place in her mother's heart, wanders from relationship to relationship. Stephen fells that if he can find the body, believed to be buried somewhere on the Moors, he can bring the family back together and he spends his days digging on the Moors. At some point, he realizes/ thinks that the person who can help him find the remains is the man in prison for the murders, so Stephen begins a secret correspondence with him. And from there the story takes off. Very dark but engrossing. Stephen is a quiet but smart boy, picked on by the hoodies in his school. Avery, the child killer, is a sociopath who has spent 18 years in prison and has his killing instincts aroused by Stephen's letters. Well worth reading. Belinda Bauer has written other stories set in the town of Shipcott, UK. I'll have to find them as I enjoyed this very much. (4 stars)"

2. Darkside (Exmoor Trilogy #2 / 2011).

"It is freezing mid-winter on Exmoor, and in a close-knit community where no stranger goes unnoticed, a local woman has been found murdered in her bed. This is local policeman Jonas Holly's first murder investigation. But he is distracted by anonymous letters, accusing him of failing to do his job.

Taunted by the killer and sidelined by his abrasive senior detective, Jonas has no choice but to strike out alone on a terrifying hunt . . . but who is hunting who?"

3. Rubbernecker (2013).

"Winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and one of the Guardian’s Best Crime and Thrillers of the Year, Rubbernecker is a can’t-put-it-down page-turner from one of the finest voices in UK crime, about a medical student who begins to suspect that something strange is going on in his cadaver lab. “The dead can’t speak to us,” Professor Madoc had said. But that was a lie. The body Patrick Fort is examining in anatomy class is trying to tell him all kinds of things. But no one hears what he does, and no one understand when Patrick tries to tell them. Life is already strange enough for Patrick—being a medical student with Asperger’s syndrome doesn’t come without its challenges. And that’s before he is faced with solving a possible murder, especially when no one believes a crime has even taken place. As his determination to uncover the truth grows, so do the suspicions of his classmates, teachers—even his mother wonders if Patrick is all right. Now he must stay out of danger long enough to unravel the mystery. But as Patrick learns one truth from a dead man, he discovers there have been many other lies closer to home."

 The complete list of Bauer's books can be found at this link. Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe. 😷